Eric Yellin Cause of Death Revealed: Well-Known Veteran Director of ‘Jack Reacher’ Dead at 55

By Kate Hill

Veteran assistant director, Eric Yellin, passed away at the age of 55.

His producer wife, Rosadel Varela, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that he died January 10 at his Newport Beach, California home. She also disclosed that he died following a year-long battle with cancer.

In his entire career in the filming industry, he earned credits as a respected assistant in films including Todd Field's "In the Bedroom," Noah Baumbach's "The Squid and the Whale," and Christopher McQuarrie's "Jack Reacher," as per source.

Yellin's Early Years

On September 8, 1966, Eric Yellin was born in Encino, Los Angeles, California, and was raised in Newport Beach. He was a Dunn School alum in Los Olivos, California, and went to Boston University and finished his bachelor's degree in 1988.

The publisher also reported that he moved to New York and started his film career as a production assistant in the 1993 Barbara Kopple film "Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson."

He continued working behind the camera for John McTiernan's "Die Hard With a Vengeance" and Woody Allen's "Mighty Aphrodite" in 1995, Barbara Streisand's "The Mirror Has Two Faces" in 1996, and "Deconstructing Harry" in 1997.

Yellin had also contributed to quite a several television series. For his first assistant directing work, he took part in "Law & Order," "Damages," "Royal Pains," "The Following," "Person of Interest," and "Sneaky Pete."

More from the list of her assistant directing duties, he also earned works in as Drunks (1995), Sam Raimi's For Love of the Game (1999), David O. Russell's Three Kings (1999), John Singleton's Shaft (2000), Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000) and Andy Tennant's Sweet Home Alabama (2002).

He also served as an A.D. on other films right after, adding on the list "13 Going on 30" (2004), "Raising Helen" (2004), "Jumper" (2008), "27 Dresses" (2008), and "Man on a Ledge" (2012).

Yellin even co-directed and co-produced "The Pepper Project" in 2015. Throughout his career, he was known as a mentor to many.

On Saturday, January 22, a memorial service in Newport Beach and remembrances will follow in New York and Martha's Vineyard by spring. A bench will also be dedicated to his honor near Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

As per the source, donations can be made to the Eric Yellin Film Fund at Boston University. It will be provided to the College of Communication upper-level students for their thesis projects to create higher-quality films.

May his soul rest in peace.